Chelsea Football Club Bid to Turn Iconic Battersea Power Station Into a Stadium

The future of London’s renowned Battersea Power Station has long been debated, and numerous bids have been offered up with the hopes of giving the building a new life. Its potential renovation has made news yet again, and this week the structure finds itself at the center of a takeover feud. Chelsea Football Club submitted a £1 billion plan to construct what would be one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums, readapting the industrial structure. However, officials say the Grade II* listed building is unsuitable grounds for the football club.

Following the city’s Mayoral election last week, newly re-elected Mayor Boris Johnson and the Deputy Mayor for planning Sir Edward Lister cited problems with redeveloping the infrastructure to support the club and its fans. They said the the costs involved with extending the public transport system to the area would be a major obstacle for Chelsea.

The club has outlined ideas to transform the former power station into a 60,000-capacity stadium that would incorporate the four iconic chimneys of the station into the design. They have said they would also restore the building’s west turbine hall into the stadium.

However, the former Power Station has received interest from other parties who want to redevelop the site as an eco-friendly renovation — something which some see as a more suitable future for the city’s landmark building.